Chuck vs the Christmas Surprise
by TwotoTenth
Summary: With his team otherwise occupied, Chuck is left to spend a lonely Christmas at a CIA safehouse - at least until General Beckman sends a surprise his way.
1. Blue Christmas

A/N: Well, it's Christmas time, which means it's time for fluffy holiday stories. Here is mine. KathGrangerPotter, my ever-helpful beta, convinced me it was worth publishing, so if you disagree, well, this is all her fault. And if you like it... it's still her fault. But to make complaining (or complimenting) more convenient, just review and I'll pass all of your thoughts her direction. :)

I don't own Chuck... for now. But Christmas is in a few days, so you never know.

* * *

Chapter 1: Blue Christmas

"General, I appreciate the fact that my safety is a high priority. But I've learned to protect myself quite well over the past several months, and I hardly think spending Christmas with my family is dangerous enough that I should require constant supervision."

General Beckman couldn't quite suppress a smile. The man on the other end of the phone was rapidly developing into a brilliant agent. His ability to quickly analyze a variety of problems and almost unerringly find uniquely effective solutions was unmatched, which made him a great asset to the American intelligence community.

It also occasionally made Chuck Bartowski a giant pain in the ass.

"The NSA appreciates the progression of your skills, Mr. Bartowski. But some level of surveillance is still required. And since Colonel Casey is visiting his family over the holidays and the monitoring devices have been removed from your family's home, a secure safehouse is the only option," she explained.

"You got rid of the bugs from Ellie's apartment?" The Intersect's voice was surprised.

"Our budget is not infinite. Since you've been spending most of your time in the field for several months now, we judged that the resources used to watch your family could be better applied elsewhere. Besides," Beckman added, "I seem to recall hearing a request that we… what was it? 'Quit stalking your sister,' I believe."

"I didn't expect you to actually do it!" he exclaimed. "Of all the times for you to actually listen to me…"

"If this was the only subject on which I'd listened to you, there would be another agent on your protective detail, and you could spend Christmas at home," the General reminded her grumpy subordinate.

The answering voice dripped with a fatigue built up from months of repetitive discussion on the same topic. "General, none of the replacements you've sent for Agent Walker have been remotely acceptable, either in the field or in cover life. And you can't pin that assessment solely on me, since you know Casey has agreed in every case."

Beckman did know that. She still regretted the decision to send Agent Forrest to conduct the original 49B; her top female agent's first contact with Bartowski's circle of friends had been as a stripper at his brother-in-law's unfortunately memorable bachelor party, and the asset's family would certainly object to a long-term relationship arising from such cirbumstances. The CIA had a larger pool of candidates, but bringing in one of their agents would require the new CIA director and much of his staff to take on supervisory roles for the mission, and with the threat of the Ring still looming, the General preferred to keep the number of people aware of Project Omaha's details as small as possible.

"I am aware of the Colonel's opinions," Beckman confirmed, "and I have indulged the two of you to this point, because you've both performed admirably despite your team's limited manpower. But that indulgence requires that you be sequestered while your solitary teammate is unavailable."

"I don't suppose you'd be willing to explain all that to Ellie, would you? She's going to be crushed. I haven't seen her in over a month, and that includes missing Thanksgiving."

"I will admit that your absence from home is regrettable," Beckman conceded. "But there's nothing that can be done about it."

"You could send them here," Chuck countered. "Devon already knows what I do. And Ellie… we could dress the house up, make it into a special holiday vacation package provided by my new employers. Hell, that wouldn't even be a lie."

She almost caved. More than anyone, Beckman knew just how much the country needed Chuck Bartowski, and she honestly wanted him to be rewarded for his Herculean efforts in its service. But there were plans in motion that would be badly upset by the presence of his family. "Out of the question, I'm afraid."

The General knew what to expect next, and her asset didn't disappoint. "Could you at least give me something to do while I'm under lockdown? Not that it would remotely make up for the absence of my family, but it'd be nice to have my DVD collection here, or a Wii or something."

Glancing down at her watch, Beckman allowed herself a rare chuckle. "Don't worry, Mr. Bartowski. I suspect we can find something to keep you busy during the holidays." As if on cue, she heard the sound of a ringing doorbell on the other end of the phone.

"Please tell me you didn't courier over a giant box of files for my review," Chuck groused. "It's bad enough being kept away from my family. The least you could do is give me a break from…"

Just as she'd expected, his voice trailed off as he saw what awaited him on the other side of the door. The General offered him a final brief salutation before hanging up.

"Merry Christmas, Chuck."


	2. All I Want for Christmas Is You

A/N: Well, it's Christmas time, which means it's time for fluffy holiday stories. Here is mine. KathGrangerPotter, my ever-helpful beta, convinced me it was worth publishing, so if you disagree, well, this is all her fault. And if you like it... it's still her fault. But to make complaining (or complimenting) more convenient, just review and I'll pass all of your thoughts her direction. :)

I don't own Chuck... for now. But Christmas is in a few days, so you never know.

* * *

Chapter 2: All I Want for Christmas Is You

The agent stood casually on the porch, waiting for the door to open. Her assignment had been described in only the vaguest terms, and since her request for more detail had been firmly rejected, she was pretty sure that the ambiguity had been intentional. In her experience, "conducting an interview" could mean just about anything. It might be what the Agency diplomatically referred to as "aggressive physical interrogation," it might be something approaching a striptease for a demanding asset, or it might simply be a calm chat about information that happened to be classified enough that a high-ranking agent was required. As she leaned against the doorpost, her thoughts shifted from speculation on the nature of her mission to curiosity as to why her host was taking so long to let her in. Her musings were interrupted as the knob turned and the door swung noiselessly open, revealing someone whose presence surprised her to such an extent that she wondered briefly whether she was daydreaming. Needing to reaffirm her grip on what she desperately hoped was reality, she managed to recapture her breath before letting his name gasp through her lips.

"Chuck?"

His mouth hung open in shock that appeared to equal her own. The phone he'd held pressed to his ear slipped forgotten from his grasp and rebounded lightly from the carpeted floor of the entryway before coming to rest near his feet, the soft, hypnotic sound of the dial tone serving as the only reminder of its existence. He frantically gulped for air, finally finding enough to allow him to respond, if only in a whisper.

"Sarah."

A tentative smile worked its way across Sarah's face as she realized that the safehouse door had indeed been opened for her by the man of her dreams – a term that had become quite literal during their Beckman-enforced six-month separation. Those dreams had frequently featured various reunion scenarios. They'd find each other somewhere, and then he would take her in his arms and kiss her senseless, and then…

Chuck interrupted her momentary fantasy by doing something completely off-script. He muttered "Son of a bitch," bent down to pick up his phone, and turned to walk back into the house, leaving a thoroughly confused Sarah alone on the porch, with tears gathering in each eye and threatening to tumble down her cheeks. Having been jarred back to reality, she now had to do something beyond simply standing outside. Her first instinct was to turn around, climb back into the CIA-driven car she'd been offered for her trip, and cry all the way to the airport.

But the more she thought about Chuck's reaction, the angrier she became. She remembered how vehemently they'd both argued with the General after she'd decided that the new Intersect changed their situation in such a way that Sarah's emotional ties were no longer beneficial. She recalled the number of high-profile missions for which she'd been passed over because the Agency no longer perceived her as a reliable seductress. She thought back on the numerous restless nights she'd spent wishing he was sleeping next to her. And she decided that there was no way she would leave without at least getting an explanation for his bizarrely adverse reaction to her presence. Nodding determinedly, Sarah stalked into the house.

She found him pacing around the living room and spitting phrases like "completely unacceptable" and "total lack of respect" into the phone. Deciding to take the direct approach, she stepped right in front of him and shoved him backward onto the couch. "What the hell, Chuck?"

He paused, told the person on the other end of the phone to make sure he was called back, and hung up. "Look, Sarah, before you kill me, this wasn't my idea…"

She frowned. "_What_ wasn't your idea?"

"You… being sent here, with… whatever orders you have," he stammered.

Sarah glared down at him. "And what orders do you think I have, exactly?"

Chuck blushed furiously. "Well, Beckman said…"

She leaned over him menacingly and pinned his shoulders to the couch. "_Talk,_" she ordered.

He refused to meet her eyes. "Beckman said that they had something to keep me busy while I was here. And then you showed up, and you looked… vulnerable. Almost scared." Sarah flinched slightly as Chuck continued. "Look, I won't ask you to do anything you're not comfortable-"

Sarah turned his chin gently to face her. "Chuck, they told me I was coming here to conduct an interrogation. If I looked… scared, it's because I didn't expect to see you here, and I wasn't…" she trailed off.

"I wasn't prepared either," he said comfortingly.

"No… well, yes, but it's not just that. I mean, if I'd known you were here, I would have… looked different," she admitted haltingly.

Chuck's face bloomed into a full grin. "Really. What exactly are we talking about here?"

"Hey now," she said warningly, swatting him lightly on the arm. His smile told her that he wasn't going to retract the question. "Fine, you really want to play this game?" she challenged. Seeing the playful glint in his eyes, Sarah sank down onto the couch next to him and leaned up to whisper in his ear. "I would have blown you away, Mr. Bartowski."

He shivered deliciously and pulled back to look her in the eyes. "Haven't you figured this out by now, Sarah? You _always_ blow me away."

They leaned together and Sarah's eyes drifted shut as their lips connected in a gentle kiss. Chuck pulled back after just a few moments. "It's really good to see you, Sarah."

She smiled, keeping her eyes closed for an extra moment as she savored his lingering taste. "It's good to see you too, Chuck."

He grabbed her hands and pulled her from the couch. "So… would you like to take a look around the place?"

Sarah dutifully followed the brief tour through the kitchen, dining room, and what appeared to be a small holding cell near the back. It was capped off with a visit to the upstairs, where the two bedrooms were located.

"That's odd," she mused.

"Hmm?"

Sarah looked up toward him and murmured, "Two beds?"

Chuck smiled brightly at the memory and draped an arm around her shoulders. "I guess they didn't get that memo we submitted after last time, huh?"

"Well, there's nothing that says we have to use both of them," she suggested.

"Yeah, but I'd hate for one of them to feel left out…"

Sarah glared at him. "We can break in one bed each of the first two nights, then."

He smiled serenely. "That sounds… perfect."

* * *

"So… what have you been up to?"

Sarah smiled guardedly. "Mission details are classified, you know that."

"Yeah, I don't mean specific operations," Chuck clarified. "Just… how's life? What kind of work do they have you on? Do you have a new partner?"

"I did, for a couple of missions."

"What happened?" Chuck asked in concern. "Is he all right?"

"He's fine, as far as I know. We had two successful assignments in just over a week. He spent all of our downtime hitting on me, and I guess he got impatient when I kept ignoring him. So after the second operation went well, he decided to celebrate by feeling me up." She grimaced at the memory. "I imagine he'll be cleared for field duty again soon – broken wrists generally take a few months to get back to full strength."

"Wow," Chuck laughed. "My impression of the average male CIA agent may be colored by the fact that the two spies of that type I've been around have been Bryce and Cole…"

"Yeah, those two are pretty typical in this line of work," Sarah confirmed.

"Then I can see why the Agency might think you'd be better off working alone."

"Bingo," she chuckled. "It's been all short-term stuff so far – extracting an asset here, swiping some documents from a safe there, that sort of thing."

"Any, uhh…" Chuck trailed off awkwardly.

"No, Chuck, none of those," Sarah reassured him. "The CIA may not be an ideal employer, but they're able to recognize when an agent may not be ready for that type of work."

"That's good," Chuck replied a little too quickly. "I mean, that they look out for you like that."

Sarah smiled gently. "Chuck, you're allowed to be happy that I haven't been assigned any seductions."

He grinned sheepishly. "If it helps, neither have I."

"Really," Sarah mused. "I'll have to talk to Beckman about that – clearly, they're not using you to your full potential." She completely failed to hold back the laugh inspired by Chuck's answering baleful look.

"Actually, the team has drawn a couple of those – just not me. Apparently the NSA thinks that Colonels are sexier than Captains."

Sarah giggled. "And how has Casey… wait, Captains? Chuck?"

He shrugged. "Yup."

"You actually have a military rank?" Sarah gaped. "I'd have thought they'd just make you an agent."

"Well, apparently Omaha is now a hybrid NSA/Defense project, and the paperwork for that is a lot easier if I'm enlisted, or something," Chuck explained. "Doesn't seem to affect my day-to-day much."

"Ahh, but the real question is this," Sarah said, her voice dropping into a sultry purr. "Do you get a uniform?"

Chuck blushed slightly. "I do, but it's not here," he replied apologetically.

"Unfortunate," Sarah declared with a slight pout. "So how's everyone in Burbank?"

"I assume 'everyone' means Ellie and Awesome, right?"

"Not necessarily, although they were certainly the first people who came to mind. But I'm also curious to hear about Morgan and the Herders."

"Morgan is still… well, he's still Morgan," Chuck hedged.

"Meaning…" Sarah prodded.

"Meaning his benihana dreams turned into a job at Subway," he admitted with a sigh.

"That sounds about right. No offense," she added hastily.

"Oh, none taken. I'm well aware that ambition is not one of my little buddy's vices," Chuck reassured her.

"That's putting it kindly," she chuckled. "What about the two drunks?"

"They still stop by the store occasionally to visit the little people."

Sarah frowned in confusion. "Little people?"

"You didn't hear?" Chuck shook his head wonderingly. "Jeffster's debut album was a smash hit – three chart-topping songs."

Sarah's eyes widened. "No way."

"I was surprised too," he confirmed. "Emmett still hates them so much he refused to stock it, until directly ordered by Buy More corporate. The incident actually got about a 15-second segment on one local newscast."

"How exciting," Sarah deadpanned.

"It really was. You should pay more attention to the music scene," Chuck admonished.

"Apparently," she conceded.

"Because if you don't, it'll always be way too easy for me to pull your leg."

Sarah's eyes narrowed angrily. "Hey!"

Chuck burst out laughing. "Seriously, Sarah. Jeffster? There's no way you should have bought that."

"Well I… you sold it really well," she argued defensively.

"Yeah, but it's still Jeff and Lester – who, by the way, are still perpetually less-than-sober, and still at the bottom of the Herd's food chain."

"Fair enough," Sarah admitted reluctantly. "So back to Ellie. Any news about the new Awesomes?"

"Still happily married, no kids yet last I heard," Chuck summarized briefly.

Sarah's brow furrowed in concern. "Last you heard? Has that been a while?"

Chuck sighed. "Yeah, it has. Beckman's made us into a roving team, dealing with trouble spots wherever they come up. It takes us out of town a lot."

"How long?" she pressed cautiously.

"Six weeks."

Sarah winced slightly. "Sorry to hear that."

Chuck nodded resignedly. "Yeah… life on the road has its rough parts. Not that it's entirely bad."

"Oh?" Sarah inquired curiously. "What are the good points?"

"Well, for one, I'm not sure Ellie would have believed I was going through some kind of phase as a playboy back when Beckman was trying a new replacement for you every couple of weeks," he answered dryly.

"Did any of them stick?" Sarah asked more worriedly than she would have liked.

Chuck flashed an adoring smile. "Please. You, Sarah Walker, are irreplaceable."

Sarah beamed back at him. "And with that, Mr. Bartowski, I believe you've talked your way into Round 3 – that is, if you're up for it."

Chuck rolled over, using his forearms to suspend himself mere inches above her and gazing lovingly into her eyes. "Do you even have to ask?"


	3. Home for Christmas

A/N: OK, I should probably clear up the timeline of this story. Season 2 occurred as in canon. Soon after the new upload, Beckman reevaluated Chuck and Sarah's relationship and determined that their feelings were no longer helpful, so Sarah was reassigned.

I should also note that while this is a post-Season 2 reunion story, it is not the post-Season 2 reunion story that won the election to be one of the next stories I write. That one will come at some point next year.

As before, you all have KathGrangerPotter to thank for this chapter.

I don't own Chuck... for now. But Christmas is in a few days, so you never know.

* * *

Chapter 3: Home for Christmas

Sarah woke slowly the next morning, deliberately keeping her eyes closed to enjoy a few extra seconds of post-sex haze. Finally stirring to full alertness, she extracted herself from the cocoon of sheets that had formed around her during the night and rolled over to greet… nobody.

"Chuck?" she called tentatively. Hearing no response, she climbed out of bed, and after retrieving enough articles of clothing to feel comfortable walking around the house, she began conducting a search for her missing bedmate.

After finding the second bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and living room unoccupied, Sarah discovered a closed door that she realized hadn't been opened for her during the previous day's tour. Frowning slightly, she knocked. "Chuck? Are you in there?"

Her face relaxed into a fond smile as she heard the unmistakable sound of someone scrambling around on the other side of the door. It finally opened to reveal the man she was looking for. "Hey, Sarah! Good morning!"

"Morning," she replied, leaning up for a brief kiss. "What are you doing that's so important that it takes you away from morning-after cuddling?"

"That?" Chuck fidgeted nervously. "It's a sort of, uh, time-sensitive project."

"Don't tell me Beckman has you working over Christmas?" Sarah asked in dismay.

"No, nothing like that," he answered.

"Well then what?" she pressed.

He shook his head. "I can't tell you."

"I don't think so," Sarah objected. "You just said it wasn't spy business."

"It's not classified," he shrugged. "I just can't tell you."

Sarah bit her lip worriedly. "Please? I don't like you keeping secrets from me."

Chuck sighed resignedly. "Fine. I'm getting you a present."

"Really? I thought you were my present," she teased.

"Nope," Chuck replied. "That doesn't work for two reasons. First, because I didn't set up this visit, which means I haven't actually gotten you anything yet."

"That's really all right, Chuck. I don't need anything else."

He ignored the interruption. "And second, because if we're each other's presents, I got a much better one than you did. So something has to be done to make up the difference. And before you say it," he cut her off quickly, "I'm sure you'll disagree with the second part of that statement. But that's only because you don't realize just how amazing you are. So please, let me spend a couple hours in here trying to find something that even comes close to showing you how grateful I am to have you in my life again."

Sarah hurriedly blinked back tears. "I, uhh, guess I can do that," she said weakly.

"Wait for me in the living room. You have your choice of Christmas specials on DVD," Chuck announced with a smile.

She withdrew to the room in question. But instead of turning on the DVD player, she lapsed into thought. Regardless of Chuck's opinion on the matter, Sarah knew that she was at least as lucky as he was. So if he was getting her something…

Sarah smiled as inspiration struck. She pulled out her phone and dialed a number she'd committed to memory several months before.

* * *

"I never really liked that one," Chuck declared as the closing credits for Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer scrolled across the impressive flat screen. "If you think about it, pretty much all the adults are horrible. I mean, what kind of father is ashamed of his son the freak?"

Sarah laughed. "I never thought of it that way," she admitted.

The doorbell interrupted their conversation. "It's here!" they both exclaimed. Looking across the room at each other, they burst out laughing.

"You weren't supposed to get me anything!" Chuck said reproachfully.

"Well, tough," Sarah answered belligerently. "If you can appreciate me, I can appreciate you right back."

"Fine," he conceded. "I'll get the door."

"No!" Sarah protested. "If it's your present, that'll spoil the surprise! I'll get the door."

"That'll cause the same problem if it's yours," Chuck answered. They eyed each other curiously, both now wondering what the other had planned for them.

"Rock paper scissors?" Sarah offered.

"Two out of three," Chuck agreed.

Two rocks, three papers, and a scissors later, Chuck crowed in triumph and sprang from his seat. Reaching the entryway, he checked the peephole and smiled widely. "It's yours," he proclaimed, twisting the knob and stepping aside. Sarah stood to see what would enter the house – and gasped.

"Hello, Darlin'."

"Dad," she whispered.

Chuck watched happily as the Burtons embraced. Briefly catching Sarah's tearful gaze, he mouthed a quick _Merry Christmas._

She smiled appreciatively back at him. _Thank you._

* * *

Chuck had intended to give Sarah and Jack some time alone, but both of them had insisted he join them over a pizza lunch, which Jack had declared to be part of a "traditional Burton Christmas." The three had spent an enjoyable afternoon together, ending when the doorbell rang once again as dinnertime approached.

"That'll be yours," Sarah guessed. "Dad and I will go upstairs and get out of your way."

"Not a chance," Chuck responded. "I got to share your present, it's only fair that you share mine."

Sarah shook her head. "Much as I would enjoy that, your present thinks we broke up 6 months ago, and giving any other impression would cause all kinds of complications."

Chuck's eyes lit up. "You didn't."

Sarah smiled. "I did."

Chuck wrapped her in an ecstatic hug and planted a passionately grateful kiss on her lips. Leaving a huskily-whispered _You're amazing_ to echo in Sarah's ear, he bounded toward the door, waited impatiently for the Burtons to move out of sight, and jerked hard on the knob. The people on the other side quickly found themselves encased in a crushing hug.

"Whoa there, Chuckster," Devon laughed. "We're happy to see you too, but we all need to breathe."

Chuck withdrew quickly. "Sorry. It's just… I can't believe you guys are here!"

"We hate to just show up like this, but Dad insisted that we surprise you," Ellie said apologetically.

"Are you kidding? This is great! Come in!"

"Hang on, Chuck," Ellie chided. "We have to get some things out of the car first.

Chuck's face twisted nervously. "Uhh, about that…"

"Relax, bro, we're not unloading luggage," Devon said reassuringly. "Just a few presents and some dinner."

"Dinner?" Chuck asked amazedly. "You didn't have to…"

Ellie cut him off imperiously. "Chuck Bartowski, you are not going to miss Christmas dinner. And you certainly aren't going to cook it for yourself. Now go help Devon carry everything in."

He beamed a classic Bartowski smile toward his family and wrapped them in another enormous hug before trotting excitedly toward the car.

* * *

Ellie and Devon had departed with apologies, saying that the Awesomes were expecting them for breakfast tomorrow. Jack had left a short time later without offering any particular excuse. That left Chuck and Sarah to pick idly at the leftovers of Ellie's delicious dinner, neither of them ready for the day to end. Finally, Chuck reluctantly pushed his chair back from the table.

"So Ellie said that Dad called them."

Sarah nodded. "I obviously couldn't contact them directly. He was the simplest intermediary I could think of."

"Makes sense," Chuck agreed.

"It was a little weird – I'd never used the contact number he gave me before today, but he almost seemed to be expecting me to call," Sarah mused.

Chuck grinned. "Maybe that's because you weren't the first person who called him."

"Oh?"

"Hey, Jack Burton is not an easy man to track down. If Dad didn't have access to every surveillance database in the country, I'm not sure I would have found him," Chuck said.

"He's a pretty useful guy to have around," Sarah agreed.

"Yeah," Chuck assented. Giving Sarah a meaningful glance, he added, "He's not the only one."

Sarah's only reply was a silent, thoughtful nod.

"Sarah…"

She interrupted immediately. "Chuck, can we not do this now?"

He smiled softly. "We have to at some point."

"I know," she admitted. "But we still have tomorrow. Can't we just pretend until then?"

"No, Sarah," he insisted gently. "I don't want to just pretend with you any more. And between the two of us, I think we can figure this out."

"Figure what out, Chuck?" she asked in confusion.

"This isn't enough for me," he murmured. "I want you back."

"Chuck…" she whispered warningly. "We both have our orders."

"And that's all there is to it?" he demanded. "Tell me honestly, Sarah. When that car comes to pick you up tomorrow, are you going to be satisfied having spent two days here?"

"That's the life – a life you signed up for, by the way," Sarah retorted harshly, her gaze dropping to the floor. "You take what you can get."

"Sarah," Chuck coaxed tenderly. "Look me in the eyes and tell me that you'd be happy with this, with just these two days, every year for the next ten. If you can do that, I'll let it go, and we can pretend to your heart's content."

She reluctantly lifted her eyes to meet his. "I… can't," she finally stammered.

He smiled widely. "Then let's figure out how to get more."


	4. We Wish You a Merry Christmas

A/N: Here's the fourth and final installment. Thanks to all my readers and reviewers, who have given this story more hits faster than anything else I've written.

As before, you all have KathGrangerPotter to thank for this chapter.

I don't own Chuck... for now. But Christmas is tomorrow, so you never know.

* * *

Chapter 4: We Wish You a Merry Christmas

General Beckman placed her follow-up call two hours after Agent Walker's scheduled departure, and two hours before Colonel Casey planned to retrieve his asset. It took her a few moments to notice that the phone had been answered, because Bartowski didn't say anything after picking up.

"Did you enjoy your gift?" she finally asked.

"Very much."

Beckman jumped. The voice on the other end was distinctly more feminine than she'd expected.

"Hold on, General, let me put you on speaker. We have a lot to discuss," Walker announced.

"I hope one of the topics you have in mind is getting yourself back to your job," Beckman commented dryly.

"Actually, that was the main one," the CIA agent answered smoothly. "Namely, the fact that I'm returning to the Intersect project."

"Are you?" Beckman frowned. "I'd think the project supervisor would notify the agent of that decision, not the other way around."

"Come on, General," Chuck's voice joined the conversation. "Since when has this operation been remotely conventional?"

"You're treading on very dangerous ground, Bartowski," Beckman said testily.

"That's not really anything new, is it?" the Intersect replied flippantly.

"Even if I were inclined to bring Agent Walker back into the Omaha fold, that would also require reintroducing CIA supervision to the project, and the accompanying risk of Ring penetration is unacceptable," the General declared.

"That's only true if Sarah remains a CIA agent," Chuck observed.

Beckman paused thoughtfully. "And?"

"And I'm willing to switch employers to make this work," Walker clarified.

The head of the NSA almost whistled. "You realize that the NSA requires significantly more discipline than you and Mr. Bartowski have shown at times in the past."

"I do. And I'm willing to accept that, on one condition," she promised.

Beckman had a pretty good idea what that would be. "Name it."

"An officially sanctioned relationship with Chuck."

Drawing in a deep, calming breath, the General held back her instinctive negative reaction. "Make your case."

"Now that Chuck is an agent, it's no longer an asset-handler interaction," Walker argued. "Relationships between partners are generally condoned."

"True, but this is still a unique situation," Beckman countered. "There will always be some aspects of his role that are asset-like. His team members need to be reliable in the case that Chuck's best interests diverge from those of the country."

"I understand that, General." Surprisingly, it was Chuck's voice that acknowledged this concern. "But I expect that with Sarah back on the team, this will no longer be an issue. Because if she's harmed in any way, the Intersect will activate what we might call Galaxy Quest mode."

She cringed, knowing she was being set up – but there was no way for the conversation to move on if she didn't ask the question. "Galaxy Quest mode?"

"Never give up, never surrender." She could hear his grim smile through the phone.

"So you're saying that Agent Walker's addition to your team would create a de facto self destruct function?"

"Not exactly… but something like that. More of an 'either self or everything else destruct' function. It's got every escape technique, every kind of combat… with the right motivation, there's really only one reliable way to stop me," he said ominously. "And Sarah… well, she's just about the best motivation on Earth."

Beckman nodded cautiously. "For that to work, you two would have to be together at all times. Even a separation of a few hours would allow a chance for Mr. Bartowski to be captured without Agent Walker nearby to encourage him to action." She allowed her eyes to drift shut in disbelief of what her next question had to be. "Do both of you realize the kind of personal commitment that will require? No storming out after a fight, no sleeping on the couch, no 'I just need some space right now.'"

A long pause preceded the answer, which was spoken in unison. "We do."

"Agent Walker, you'll need to be the first into the line of fire during every mission, and Mr. Bartowski, you'll have to accept that."

"I will," Chuck agreed.

Beckman scrambled unsuccessfully to come up with another objection. "Very well," she conceded. "Contingent on your resignation from the CIA, I'm pleased to welcome you aboard, Lieutenant Walker."

"Lieutenant?" Sarah asked. "But Chuck's a captain!"

"Mr. Bartowski earned his promotion," Beckman replied evenly. "In fact, if the team keeps up its current success rate, it won't be long before he's due for another one. You have some catching up to do if you don't want to take orders from him," she added with a smile.

"Fine," Sarah grumped. "But I'm only giving in because I'll be back on top before too long."

"Well I'm not going to object to that," Chuck quipped. The _smack_ came audibly through the phone line, and Beckman was forced to chuckle.

"Colonel Casey will be there soon to pick you up. Be ready to go when he arrives," she instructed.

"Ooh, how should we break the news to him?" Chuck asked excitedly. "How about this – I'll load my stuff in his car, and then tell him I need to get one more thing out of the house…"

Sarah laughed. "Excellent."

"I'll allow that on one condition," Beckman admonished.

"What would that be, General?" Chuck queried.

"I want a copy of the surveillance footage."

"Done," both voices responded at once.

"You'll report back to Castle on Monday morning for a briefing on Team Bartowski's revised operational structure," she ordered.

"See you then," Chuck replied. "General?"

"Yes, Mr. Bartowski?"

"Merry Christmas."

As was her custom, Beckman hung up with no response. Staring at her phone, she shook her head in amazement at what had just occurred.

"And a happy New Year to you."


End file.
